MINNEAPOLIS, MN - John Piper, renowned pastor, theologian, author, and conference speaker, can now add another title to his business card: artisan pipe craftsman.

Thursday afternoon, from the Desiring God headquarters, Piper announced the grand opening of Piper's Pipes - a boutique tobacco-pipe company specializing in small-batch pieces made from locally-sourced, environmentally-sustainable woods.

For many young Christian men, smoking pipes has become a rite of passage. Few acts declare "I'm over 18 and free from my parents' oppressive legalism" like puffing on an old-timey pipe in decidedly-Tolkienesque fashion.

The Reformed theology championed by Piper has seen a surge of interest from young adults in the past decade, which has coincided nicely with a growth in pipe-smoking among th

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